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Meta Snapshot #11

Patch Overview

Update: 26 September 2019

First published: 17 September 2019 (Game version: 3.2.0.52)

 

Changelog: 

 

Contributors

Consultants: Adzikov, Damorquis, Jamedi, JMJWilson23, KochuaKolemoen, MolegionSanttu2x, Sergi2Vamos.
Editors: Apero, Kochua
Manager: JMJWilson23

Tier 1

Decks in this tier have favourable matchups against the majority of lower tier decks and some favourable matchups against other Tier 1 lists. Another criterion is that these decks should be able to win against lower-tier decks on blue coin most of the time.

 

Tier 2

Decks in this tier can beat Tier 1 decks if the player can access its full potential, or are strong decks with a clear counter; in addition, these decks should win consistently against lower tiers.

 

Tier 3

While decks in this tier remain good laddering options that can successfully achieve high winrates, they can struggle to achieve the same winrate when matched up against decks we place in higher tiers. They may make for strong tournament options.

 

Honorable Mentions

Decks here aren't strong or popular enough to be tiered, but have enough potential to be better with the adequate support cards. They may win against unsuspecting opponents and can make for interesting tournament options, but are otherwise worth just keeping an eye on.


Written by Jamedi; Consultation: Damorquis, JMJWilson23 and SwanDive

 

What is a Meta Snapshot?

A Meta Snapshot is a comprehensive list of the decks which are played in a CCG. The decks are ordered by criteria, accounting for their power level through a tier (used by Team Aretuza & Team Nova), star or numerical system. If you would like to discuss our current Meta Snapshot, you can join our Discord server.

 

Which kind of criteria are used to classify a deck into a tier?

While the list of criteria is extensive, here are the most important aspects:

  • Power level is the amount of points a deck can output in comparison to others in the meta. In general, decks of higher tiers tend to have a greater number of unconditional points without depending on what rival decks do.
  • Consistency is focused on the draw dependency of a deck and the amount of thinning this deck has. Better thinning means more consistency, which usually means easier access to higher-value cards. If a deck is too dependent on drawing one or two certain cards but runs no thinning, it lacks consistency.
  • Counterability is the difficulty that other decks have to tech for the matchup against a certain deck and how much they need to sacrifice to improve the matchup. In Gwent, there are a lot of ways to prepare a deck for a concrete matchup and we can expect players to tech against the strongest/most popular decks of the metagame. The capability of a deck to win despite teching plays a role in its tier placement.

The data are collected by the players in several hundred matches and is then translated into the Snapshot. While the normal ladder experience can be different, tiered decks are good to climb the ladder to Pro Rank with relative ease.

 

What is the meaning of the different tiers?
  • Tier 1: Decks in this tier are the strongest, the most difficult to counter and heavily influence how decks in other tiers adapt.
  • Tier 2: Usually this tier covers decks which are still good, but due to some reason, they cannot be qualified as Tier 1. They usually have less strength than Tier 1 decks or have another factor that makes them slightly worse than top tier decks. In some particular metagames, a deck can be Tier 2 due to how easy it is to tech against it.
  • Tier 3: Decks in this category are still viable for climbing the ranked ladder, but they encounter more difficulty at high fMMR. They can still be used as tournament picks (in formats in which you can ban). They may still have favorable matchups versus some Tier 1 decks, but they are usually unfavored. Decks which are inconsistent or too draw-dependent also fall into this category.
  • Honorable Mentions: Here, we put decks whose strength is not enough to be tiered, but which have the potential to be much better with some support. These decks are always worth keeping an eye on. A deck which has been discovered recently and has not been played enough to be tiered can also fall into this category.

 

My experience differs from what you describe in the Snapshot. Does this mean that the Snapshot is not accurate?

Short answer, no. Long answer, there are a huge number of factors that can influence the development of a matchup between two players with their respective decks, which includes player skill, knowledge of the matchup and the respective decks, cards drawn and how they have played the match. Also, it is worth noting that a meta snapshot represents a picture of how the meta is in a particular moment. “Tiers” as defined above are never rigid constructs. In any given day, the meta can shift dramatically.

In general, inexperienced players tend to play worse and with more unpredictable lists. As we move up on the ladder, decklists tend to be more optimized, sometimes influenced by content creators such as popular streamers or the most recent meta snapshot. Reaching Pro Rank, we can expect to face the best possible players with the most optimized decklists.

 

I have a different list from the one shown in the Snapshot. Does this mean that one of the lists is incorrect?

Lists provided in our snapshots are usually stock lists, which are supposed to be a base to be modified according to the meta you are currently facing and your own playstyle. The tech section provides some card replacement options which may be more effective within a particular meta. This normally does not affect a deck’s overall consistency.

 

I haven’t seen this deck which appears in the Snapshot / I play this list or this archetype and it isn’t in the Snapshot.

The Snapshot tries to be as accurate and complete as possible. We release an initial snapshot as soon as the meta has settled after a game patch and make as many updates as possible afterwards. If a deck is not included, it will most likely be added in one of the next updates, as we try to prioritize the most popular and relevant decks. Despite that, we have to skip some decks which are unpopular or are very similar to existing ones. If you would like to be informed about our updates, feel free to check our website regularly or follow Team Aretuza or Team Nova on Twitter or Discord.

 

Are you just including the most popular decks/FOTM lists? Do you keep the best lists for yourselves?

No. While it is true that part of our work is to try and create a representation of the meta that is as accurate as possible and this, of course, includes the popularity of decks, popularity has no impact on how decks are tiered. We do not keep the best lists for ourselves. We are creating meta snapshots to share our collective knowledge of this game and provide players of all levels with a more enjoyable Gwent experience.

 

Do you have more questions? Join the discussion on Discord!


Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3

Honorable Mentions

Overview

This archetype has emerged from the recent changes in patch 3.2, in which Dettlaff van der Eretein (‘Blood Scent’) was reworked to support a now decent Bleeding core. This deck has become an alternative to the Arachas Queen (‘Arachas Swarm’) builds played this season, shining especially in long and medium-length rounds, as we can get a continuous flow of points with Bleeding and our engines. While this archetype probably needs more buffs to reach a top-tier status, it truly has potential.

 

Essential Cards

  • Orianna is the main synergizer of the Bleeding archetype and becomes really scary if it remains unanswered. In combination with Dettlaff van der Eretein's Charges and its own Bleeding applications, it can grow really fast, guaranteeing at least 9 points of value.
  • Ozzrel is our short-round insurance. We can eat one of the high base-power units in our graveyard and get a ton of points. Offensively, we can us it on our opponent’s graveyard to deny them value if they intend to resurrect a unit.

 
Pros

  • Great long round with our Bleeding engines
  • Decent short round due to the use of giants

Cons

 

Tech Choices

  • Dandelion: Poet, Wild Hunt NavigatorKorathi Heatwave, Parasite

While Dandelion: Poet is a nice card in combination with Naglfar, as it allows us to play another gold, we might feel like this stock list plainly lacks direct removal. Korathi Heatwave is a great removal option, which also denies some graveyard interactions, such as Sigrdrifa's Rite or Assire var Anahid.

 


Written by Jamedi and JMJWilson23.

6,090 25 24 165

  • 15
    Dettlaff van der Eretein
    Leader
    Dettlaff van der Eretein Order: Give an enemy unit Bleeding for 3 turns. Charge: 3 Once all Charges are used up, Spawn an Ekimmara into a random allied row.
  • 12
    14
    Old Speartip
    Old Speartip No ability.
  • 4
    12
    Dandelion: Poet
    Dandelion: Poet Deploy: Draw a card, then play a card.
  • 4
    10
    Regis: Bloodlust
    Regis: Bloodlust Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 4. Deathblow: Banish it.
  • 9
    Naglfar
    Naglfar Look at 2 random gold cards from your deck, then play one and place the other on top.
  • 6
    9
    Katakan
    Katakan Thrive. Deploy: Spawn an Ekimmara and Summon it to this row. Deathwish: Repeat the Deploy ability.
  • 4
    9
    Orianna
    Orianna Deploy: Give an enemy unit Bleeding with a duration equal to the number of allied Vampires. Ranged: Every allied turn, on turn end, boost self by the number of Bleeding enemy units.
  • 4
    9
    Protofleder
    Protofleder Deploy: Damage an enemy unit by 3. Dominance: Drain an enemy unit by 3 instead.
  • 1
    9
    Ozzrel
    Ozzrel Deploy (Melee): Consume a unit from your opponent's graveyard. Deploy (Ranged): Consume a unit from your graveyard.
  • 10
    8
    Golyat
    Golyat Deathwish: Your opponent Summons the highest unit from their deck on the opposite row.
  • 3
    8
    Toad Prince
    Toad Prince Deploy (Melee): Consume a unit with 3 or less power.
  • 5
    7
    Queen of the Night
    Queen of the Night Deploy (Melee): Give Bleeding(4) to an enemy. Deploy (Ranged): Purify a unit.
  • 4
    7
    Gael
    Gael Deploy (Melee): Damage an enemy unit by 1. If it's Bleeding deal 3 damage instead. Deathblow: Boost self by the destroyed unit's base power.
  • 3
    5
    Nekurat
    x2
    Nekurat Zeal. Order (Melee): Give an enemy unit Bleeding for 2 turns. Cooldown: 2. Whenever you play a Vampire card, reduce this unit's Cooldown by 1.
  • 4
    4
    Garkain
    x2
    Garkain At the end of every allied turn, boost self by 1 if there is a Bleeding enemy.
  • 4
    4
    Nekker Warrior
    x2
    Nekker Warrior Thrive.
  • 4
    4
    Plumard
    x2
    Plumard Deploy: Give an enemy unit Bleeding for 2 turns. Bonded: Give it Bleeding for 4 turns instead.
  • 3
    4
    Bruxa
    x2
    Bruxa Thrive. Deploy: Give an enemy unit Bleeding for 2 turns.
  • 3
    4
    Wild Hunt Navigator
    Wild Hunt Navigator Deploy: Boost an allied unit by 1. Dominance: Boost it by 3 instead.
  • 1
    4
    Nekker
    x2
    Nekker Thrive. Deploy: Spawn a base copy of this unit and Summon it to this row.